Affiliate Marketing 101: The Nuts & Bolts with Real Life Examples

Affiliate Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. I get commissions for purchases made through links in this post. Although you won’t pay any more for any purchases you make, the commissions will enable me to continue to provide free content to readers.

You might have read my story about Bob the mechanic… so you’re aware that there are people and businesses out there who make money by referrals. And no, it’s not just real estate agents capitalizing on this amazingly simple enterprise. Chances are even AFTER reading Bob’s story you have more questions then answers, right? I know. It takes time to mentally wrap your head around making money without having to actually DO some type of work. So consider this Affiliate Marketing 101. School is in session, friends.

Today I’m going to go through the process of affiliate marketing from start to finish. I’m going to give you everything you need to know to grasp the concept, start to recognize opportunities around you, and begin to visualize how you can make this type of revenue stream work for you, 24/7/365.

In case you haven’t read about Bob yet, here’s the short version… Bob’s a great mechanic. You love him SO MUCH you tell your friends and family about his services People you know go to Bob with their vehicles. They hire Bob for their repairs. Bob is so appreciative he gives you a commission, or referral fee, for helping spread the word about his shop.

What if you don’t know a Bob the mechanic? That’s ok. You might know Sally the hairdresser? Or maybe you use a local office of a national bank? Maybe you use a food delivery service? What if your real life job allows you to be an expert at using a certain software, like for graphic design?

Each and every one of those scenarios is a valid affiliate marketing opportunity to make an affiliate commission in your every day life. And actually, there are so many more. Let me give you two examples, one from my personal life and one from my work life.

My Personal Affiliate Opportunities

I’m a plus size girl. And I have Hashimoto’s Disease. Plus, I’m one of those urban homesteader type people who likes all natural, homemade products. And I’m really busy with my digital marketing career. I authored an Amazon best seller about zero waste cooking, too. And all of these personal facts are going to give you an eye opening view of just how deep into affiliate marketing you can get if you look around you.

Because I’m so busy with work I’m able to spend money on things that allow me to prioritize my time. Like, it’s more lucrative for me to work a few extra hours a week than it is to go shopping. When I shop for plus size clothes, it’s brutal. More times than not MOST of what I try doesn’t work. It leaves STILL without cloths and mentally worked over. And because of Hashimoto’s I have to use an autoimmune paleo dietary protocol which is SUPER restrictive. It’s seriously the hardest thing I deal with, day in and day out. A huge majority of my day is spent trying to figure out recipes I can actually have. I have found two services that make my life immensely more manageable and not a mental drain to me.

Dia & Co. is a subscription clothes box for plus size women. I’ve received two boxes so far. The first box I kept three items, and the second box I kept two items. I’ve spent less than $200 for 5 pieces of QUALITY plus size clothes. They are MORE THAN the right fit, fashionable, and look amazing on me. The inside jeans pocket says, “You make these jeans look good.” I have a personal stylist that refers to a style profile I filled out. And she follows me on social media to get a better idea of how to nail the right pieces to send me.

I’m HOOKED on this service. Yeah, I’m still overweight and have further to go in my health journey. But for the first time since like high school, I can actually wear blue jeans AND THEY LOOK PRETTY GREAT on me! They feel great. I’m so confident when I wear my Dia clothes. For years I’ve been wearing knit separates. I mean, a whole new world has opened up for me.

I have referred three people to Dia & Co. For each person that orders a box using my referral link, I receive a $20 credit. Affiliate marketing in action.

Sun Basket is a food delivery service. I know, I said I was an urban homesteader, homemade products type of person. And I am. But here’s the thing… it takes me HOURS every week to find just 7 dinner recipes I can actually eat on the AIP protocol. That doesn’t count breakfasts and lunches. It’s exhausting. Then, once I find enough recipes, I have to find the products, buy them, and hope they don’t cost me a small fortune. But Sun Basket saves my life every. damn. week!

They have a paleo meal plan option. Yes paleo is different from autoimmune paleo. But it’s pretty close. So I order 3 meals per week from them. Each meal feeds two. That means I have six dinners. And sometimes, a meal is actually three servings for me. I put those extras in the freezer for meals later to help fill in another day for lunch or something. The items in the box I can’t use because they aren’t AIP, I save and give to my family and friends who DO use them. So nothing is wasted.

And Sun Basket using all eco friendly materials for their packaging, except for their plastic bags and small containers for sauces and things. I keep these bags and containers and reuse them so they aren’t wasted either. I love their recipes so much that I’ve shared them with family and friends, and made them again for visitors… die. hard. fangirl. For every person I refer to Sun Basket, I receive a $25 credit. Affiliate marketing in action.

And that’s not all. I also have an affiliate account for heirloom seeds, essential oils, and gift services I use. And if you do as much online shopping as I do, you could also be raking in rebates from things like eBates. Seriously… tons. of. money! You are leaving all KINDS of money on the table if you don’t use the power of referrals in your life.

Those are JUST my personal life examples. My digital marketing examples are going to blow your ever loving mind.

My Business Affiliate Opportunities

Literally every software, service, provider, and colleague I network with are a source for income for me.

Web hosting? Yeah, they have an affiliate program. So every single person I build a website for gets one year of free hosting. My clients LOVE that. Saves them over $100/year the first year they are in business. And when I set up their hosting account, it’s with my affiliate link. So after their first year, when they start paying for their service, I’ll start earning an affiliate commission.

Email Service Provider? OH YEAH! LOL I’m such a die hard fan of ConvertKit (online email service provider for digital marketing) that I became one of their first four certified experts, hand picked by the company. Currently, I’m making just over $600/month JUST in ConvertKit commissions.

Even my cell phone… You heard me right. I LOVE my iPhone. And my service has a referral program. So every time I talk about how great my phone is for my business, I get to see affiliate marketing in action.

Trackbacks

[…] This part is super simple. Probably the simplest part of the whole process. So, take a breath while you can. You’ll use your lists from your prior ESP to create list or tag names in ConvertKit. […]